National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY (Source: Wikimedia Commons)BOWLING GREEN, KY (WAVE) - Eight cars were swallowed by a sinkhole at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green Wednesday morning, according to the museum's executive director.A statement released by the museum said their security company alerted them at 5:45 a.m. that motion detectors were going off in the Skydome area. When officials arrived, they discovered the sinkhole.Wendell Strode, the executive director, said the hole is approximately 25 to 30 feet deep and about 40 feet wide. The Bowling Green Fire Department secured the area for the time being.Strode said the one millionth Corvette, which was donated to the museum by Chevrolet, was among the cars that fell into the sinkhole.The statement went on to say "it is with heavy hearts that we report that eight Corvettes were affected by this incident."Those cars include:• 1993 ZR-1 Spyder on loan from General Motors• 2009 ZR1 "Blue Devil" on loan from General MotorsThe other six vehicles were owned by the National Corvette Museum including:• 1962 Black Corvette• 1984 PPG Pace Car• 1992 White 1 Millionth Corvette• 1993 Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Corvette• 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 Corvette• 2009 White 1.5 Millionth CorvetteNo one was injured as no one was in or around the museum at the time of the collapse.None of the cars affected were on loan from individuals. The museum remains open, but the Skydome section will be closed until further notice.Strode said structural engineers would assess the stability of the surrounding areas later today.2014 is the museum's 20th Anniversary and officials said they "look forward to re-opening the Skydome exhibit area very soon."

I am a cave guy and I know what a sinkhole does. That area is in "cave country". The cave collapse that created sinkhole displaced a lot material. there is something really big under there. Kentucky caves are pretty well mapped, so I would "assume" when the museum was built along with any other GM facility in the area, they would have know of any cave system under the build sites. It is a shame to see all those Vette's "go down the hole"

Don Carns Jr

Mid-Appalachian Region of the National Speleological Society for the Pennsylvania Cave Conservancy

Living here in west central Florida we have sinkholes all the time. Just two last week one swallowing a ladies driveway,but about a year ago one opened up under a house and swallowed a guy sleeping in his room. They never found him and the house was demolished. EddieB Dade City, Fl

To be honest, a leaking 1/2 inch water line to a water cooler could create the same result if neglected for 30 years. Similar things happen in cities with streets collapsing when water mains leak over time.

QuoteTo be honest, a leaking 1/2 inch water line to a water cooler could create the same result if neglected for 30 years. Similar things happen in cities with streets collapsing when water mains leak over time

This is true in some areas, but this is a clear case of a cave collapse. I noticed open bedrock passage in the "drone" shot. The Flint-Mammoth cave system runs under that area and it has 400 miles of surveyed passage. This could be part of the system or something new. I would gladly go in and take a look for them, but I am sure I would be ushered to jail. They would be wise to send someone in and survey this thing since I am sure it is under a lot of real estate.

Here's a nice update to the sinkhole at the Corvette Musuem. Lots of before and after pictures of the cars. It's amazing how some cars looks like they went through a crusher and others look like they just need a wash.

I think the last Corvette raised from that Titanic sink hole can be legitimately called a total loss. Sort of looks like the 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia that has spent the last three quarters of a century at the bottom of a lake in Northern Italy.